Moving stairway hand rail construction



March 31, 1959 I e. TILTON 2,879,s81

MOVING STIRWAY HAND RAIL CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 19. 1954 14 fire-.5.

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United States Patent O MOVING STAIRWAY HAND RAIL CONSTRUCTION Russell G. Tilton, Mountain Lakes, NJ., assignor to Multiw scopo, Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of Kansas Application August 19, 1954, Serial No. 450,968

4 Claims. (CI. 198-16) The present invention relates to a hand rail Construction in conj unction with moving stairways, providing a .means for rders or passengers on the stairway to steady closeda hand rail for a movng stairway, which consists essentally of a plurality of companion members with means being provided for connection thereof with a contnuous hand rail chain for transmitting power to the companion members of the hand rail.

The principal object of the present invention, gen- 'erally stated, is to provide a smooth, continuoushand rail made in a single piece, in which the structure responds to movement about an orbit in like manner to that in the above-mentioned application. V

Another object of the invention is the provison of a continuous hand rail having ,means incorporated therein, with said means preventing stretching and elongation of the hand rail.

Another object is the provision of a hand rail made of a material leading itself to the extrusion process rather than the molding process. i

i `'A `further object is the provision of a hand railc'onstruction'having a positive driving` means incorprated therein.

Further objects and particular advantages of the in vention will suggest themselves in the course of the following description, and that which is new will be pointed out in the appended claims.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a hand rail assembly embodying the features of the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross section through the hand rail assembly, taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an sometric view of one of the chain attachment plates.

Figure 4 is a detail cross section through the hand rail member.

Figure 5 is a detail longitudinal section through the hand rail member, taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a detail plan view of the hand rail driving chain showing the chain attachment plates in connection therewith.

Figure 7 is a detail side elevation of the assembled drive chain, taken from line 7-7 of Figure 6.

Like characters of reference denote like parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

In order that the Construction of the hand rail and the elements thereof may be more fully understood and appreciated, I will now take up a detailed description thereof.

Referrng now to the drawing in detail, the hand rail member 11 is composed of extruded material such as rubber, plastic, or other suitable material of such length to complete an orbit in connection with a moving stairway. Apertures 12 are formed therein throughout the 2,879,8s1` Patented Mar. 31, 1959 length of the hand rail. The apertures are provided in the hand rail for the purpose of reducing the Volume of material and may be of any suitable shape. A chainreceiving channel 13 is formed in the hand rail with the same being open toward the inside of the orbit of the hand rail. Comparatively smaller channels 14 and 15 are formed outwardly from the chain-receiving channel 13 with channels 14 and 15 being formed continuously throughout the length of the hand rail and with the channels 14 and 15 providing for the reception of an engaging portion of each of the chain attachment plates.

The driving portion of the hand rail construction is composed of a chain having rollers 16 with pins 17 and connected by means of chain links 18 and chain attachment plates 19, as more clearly shown in Figures 6 and 7. Each of the chain attachment plates 19 has an upper lug 20 and a lower lug 21 formed integrally therewith, as shown in Figure 3, with the upper lugs 20 thereof being adapted to frictionally engage the respective channels 14 and 15 of the hand rail member.

The upper run of the hand rail assembly is provided with a track 22 on which rollers 16 ride and which is of such width to fit neatly 'between the chain attachment plates 19 with the track being supported on an nwardlyextending flange 23 of side plate 24, and with screws 25 providing means securing the track on the flange. An auxilary track 26 is secured on the inner side of plate 24 by means of screws 27, as indicated in Figure 2, with there being sufiicient space provided between the upper surface of flange 23 and the under side of track 26 for the movement of the lower lugs 21 of the chain attachment plates 19.

Side plate 24 is removably secured to an upwardly turned flange 28 of deck-receiving member 29 by means of screws 30. Deck-receiving member 29 has a continuous rib 31 formed thereon rigidly supporting the nner portion of flange 23 of side plate 24. The deckreceiving member also has an upwardly-extending side member 32 formed thereon, with the upper portion thereof being adapted to coincide with the adjacent surface of the hand rail. A second auxiliary track 33 is secured to side member 32 by means of screws 34, as more clearly shown in Figure 2. Numeral 35 indicates a deck base plate to which deck-receiving member 29 is secured by means of screws 36. 37 denotes deck trim which has one edge thereof secured to `deck-receiving member 29 in any suitable manner.

In the assembly of the hand rail, with the driving chain being assembled as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the lower portions of the hand rail 11 are spread sufficiently to permit the entrance of lugs 20 into their respective channels 14 and 15. Track 22 is brought into Contacting relation with rollers 16, after which side plate 24, with its auxiliary track 26, is brought into position and track 22 is secured thereto by means of screws 25, thus forming a sub-assembly composed of members 11, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24 and 26. With members 29, 33, 35 and 37 having been previously assembled and in place, the sub-assembly is brought into position and secured to the upwardly-turned flange 28 of deck-receiving member 29 by means of screws 30.

It is to be understood that the ends of the hand rail 11 are brought together in abutted relation and vulcanized or otherwise secured together.

Should it be necessary to remove the hand rail assembly, screws 30 may be removed, after which the subassembly may be removed from its position with relation to the deck-receiving member 29.

Hand rail member 11, being formed by the extrusion process, is much more economical than hand rails made by the molded process.

In the operation of the hand rail, sprockets (not shown) are provided at the upper and lower levels of thestairw y, With either the upper sprocket or 'the lower sprocket being drivenby 'a 'power means '(not shown). The hand rail chain e'ngages the sprockets and is driven by one of the sprockets; Hand rail member 11 is carried by the chain through thefrictional engagement of lugs 20 in the respective channels 14 and 15 without there being any driving stress imposed on the hand rail member. The chain, together with the hand rail member, is car- 'ried on track 22 while auxiliary tracks 26 and 33 prevent ;upward movement of the chain or hand rail by reason of ;lugs 21 being located below the auxili'ary tracks. 'It

-wl'l 'b e'noted that the upper 'portioh's: of side'plate 'and upwardIy-extending side 'member-&fare formed to closey coincide wth' the profile-of the adjacent portons of the hand `rail 'and'thuspreventing `dislodgement of the "hand rail by riders of the moving Stair.

- I'desir'e that it'b'e ind'erstoodthat I arn--not to `-be limited to the specific design 'of the parts or' to the ar- `rangement of the same as herein shown and described, but that minor changes and modifications may be made therein, insofar as the changes or modifications may fall 'within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now shown and described the invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a moving stairway hand rail, an extruded hand rail member provided with a driving chain recess, a driving chain having chain attachment plates forming a part thereof with each of the chain attachment plates having 'an outwardly-directed lug formed thereon, a track sup- "assembly composed of a driving chain having-anextruded hand rail member -frictionally secured thereto, a track member secured to side plate member, a pair of auxiliary tracks preventing dslodgement of the chain from its track, and means removably securing the subassembly to a deck-receiving member.

3. A moving stairway hand rail Construction as set forth in claim 2, and with the hand rail member being of extruded Construction and having a pair of opposed continuous nwardly-'opening 'chain 'receiving *channels formed iongitudinally thereof.

4. In a moving stairway hand rail Construction, a deckreceivn'g member', a side plate removably' secured' to the deck-receiving member and having an inwardly-extending ange formed integrally therewith, a track member removably secured on the upper surface of the inwardlyextending fiange, an auxilary track secured to each of the deck-rceivin'g member and the side pite; a'' ex- 20 trude hnd 'rail member da'pted to ride ver and cover the upper 'p'ortins of the *de'ck-rec'eiving 'member'"and the side plate, with the extruded hand rail member 'having a chain-'receiving channel formed longitidinally ther'eof, a pair of 'chain lug-receivng channels formed longitudinally 'of the extruded hand rai] member with the chain 'lug-r'eceiving channels being in opposed relatioI' and communic'ating with the chain-receivng channel; 'a'drive chain located within the chain-receiving channel of the extruded hand 'rail member and'running on the track member, with chanhel-nga'ging lugs being for'mejd 'on the drive chain and frictionally ei'gaging 'the extruded hand rail member in 'the opposed channels thereof, and with sec'ondary lug's formed on the drive chain and being 'adapted to engage the auxilary tracks.

` ''e'see' ces Cited in "the file of this'patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 872",457 Russel Dec. 3, 1907 '1,186,550 Cobb June 13, 1916 1,282,379 Christensen Oct. 22, 1918 2,211,427 Margles Aug. 13, 1940 2,275,048 *Hohnecker Mar. 3, 1942 

